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1/ During private briefings this week Michel Barnier said the UK side has been pressing for the Brexit talks to be kicked up to a higher political level but he has pushed back, fearing No 10 wants to turn the last few days of negotiations into a 'mass bargaining session'.
2/ The EU's chief negotiator sees Britain's strategy as trying to orchestrate a 'big tug of war at the end' between Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen/Merkel/Macron during which the three key topics fisheries, LPF and governance would be played off against each other.
3/ The thinking goes a leader level intervention worked for the Withdrawal Agreement, with the PM and Juncker/Varadkar, so why not do it again? Barnier said he's open to a few select topics being passed upward at the very end, but the UK wants to leave as many as 30 issues open.
4/ He is said to have expressed frustration and accused the UK of not understanding how the EU works. Sources reported him as saying: 'I keep telling them that's not going to happen. You can't have things going up to that level that haven't been gone over with a fine toothcomb.'
5/ In a generally gloomy assessment the EU's chief negotiator said the talks are currently 'not on a trajectory' to get a deal and there won't be one unless the UK changes its approach, especially on LPF and fishing where he said the EU has shown willingness to compromise.
6/ Mr Barnier also expressed wariness at the UK's repeated portrayal of the tariff and quota free deal on the table as 'low value' and just Canada-style. He said this is a communications tactic the EU needs to push back against, and it's actually an economically high value deal.
7/ He said the Brits hypocritically talk about a simple FTA when it suits them, like on LPF, but in other areas push for much greater access. EU diplomat: "This is not a flimsy trade agreement. This is serious stuff. If all you want is a Canada-style deal, only ask for that.'
8/ As for the Brits, they're relaxed about such noises coming out of Brussels which they say are always expected after Barnier does his internal briefings. UK officials are focussed on securing a breakthrough in next week's talks. Barnier and Frost reconvene in London on Sunday.
